I make mine just as Mr. Chu does, but with only half the amount of sugar. Really, it's just fine like that. Chances are you won't miss the rest of the sugar. Also, it's okay if the sauce is still a bit warm when you eat it!

Dried cranberry query: you could probably do something with them, simmering them in water or juice, but most dried crans have quite a lot of sugar added so you probably ought not to add anymore. Can you get frozen cranberries? The natural foods grocery where I work has them frozen all year round.

I also love the canned jellied cran sauce. It seems aesthetically important, though, to get it out of the can and into a serving dish with the contours from the sides of the can, the rings, in tact!

I'll second the recommendation for adding crushed pineapple and jalapenos. Take the recipe posted here and add one can of crushed pineapple (drained), and 3 diced jalapenos. Add the pineapple after its done cooking. The jalapenos go in with the berries so they cook down.

With 3 jalapenos, you get a bit of heat but nothing that overpowers the berries. You can add or subtract to taste, but either way its good. I made this for last Thanksgiving and everyone loved it (or so they told me).

Love this basic recipe. I've done this one for years; recently added a bit of frozen orange juice concentrate afterward. The flavor goes well, and I don't even have to juice an orange and boil it down...